People love to watch sports. Whether they are supporting their favorite teams, participating in fantasy sports leagues or just finding something to watch while they relax, sports have a major position in the entertainment industry. Yet many fear sports are turning into a money-making industry and turning away from the health of the athletes.
This issue is prominent in soccer. It is recommended players get five days of rest between games, but a recent increase in the number of games is limiting their recovery time substantially.
This situation can lead to severe injuries and lower quality play as players tire. “I think it is very important to consider athletes’ health when expanding their schedules because it brings negative results during game time. When coaches are focused on loading the schedule with practices, athletes that can’t perform to their highest level,” freshman soccer player Zach Wilsted said.
But there are ways for athletes and coaches to prevent injuries. “I believe the day after games should be recovery days or days off, rather than having to come back being sore after a game and start going again,” said Wilsted.
Ankle, calf/shin and hamstring injuries have experienced major changes in severity, increasing 170%, 200% and 130%, respectively. This is largely due to the FIFA World Cup that occurred in the winter of 2022. This will only intensify as the World Cup and Champions League will include more games in the upcoming years.
But this problem is not exclusive to soccer.
In college football, the playoffs are expanding from four teams to twelve. While this is not as dramatic of an increase as in soccer, it will still have impacts on the players as they add more games to their season.
Baseball and basketball have experienced overscheduling for years. This has caused teams in both sports to have to rest their star players for games throughout their season to give them time to recuperate.
There are some benefits to increasing teams’ schedules. It adds to the entertainment industry as more games are available for fans to watch. It can also improve the quality of life in the communities in which the teams are located as more games brings in more money.
While these changes may seem beneficial for superficial fans, those who pay attention to athletes’ health, understand the detrimental effects of increasing the schedules for teams.
The severity of overscheduling does differ from athlete to athlete. “While injuries happen more often when there is a fuller schedule, if an athlete takes the right precautions they can be fine. I think it comes down to the particular athlete in each case due to differing levels of intensity, effort and time commitment,” explained junior, multi-sport athlete Henry Allers.
From the expansion of the World Cup to the 162-game MLB season, players are forced to play in more games than ever. This has some benefits, but it is at the risk of the players’ health. If sports want to continue to expand, they must ensure the health of players.
